132 



APPENDIX. 



ceived a wigwam, and immediately made towards it ; but the re- 

 ception I met with was not at all agreeable ; for stooping to get into 

 it, I presently received two or three kicks in my face, and at the 

 same time heard the sound of voices seemingly in anger, which made 

 me retire and wait at the foot of a tree, where I remained till an old 

 woman peeped out, and made signs to me to draw near. I obeyed 

 very readily, and went into the wigwam : in it were three men and 

 two women ; one young man seemed to have great respect shewn 

 to him by the rest, though he was the most miserable object I ever 

 saw. He was a perfect skeleton, and covered with sores from head 

 to foot. I was happy to sit a moment by their fire, as I was quite 

 benumbed with cold. The old woman took out a piece of seal, 

 holding one part of it between her feet, and the other end in her 

 teeth, and then cut off some thin slices with a sharp shell, and 

 distributed them about to the other Indians. She then put a bit 

 on the fire, taking a piece of fat in her mouth, which she kept 

 chewing, every now and then spirting some of it on the piece that 

 was warming upon the fire ; for they never do more with it than 

 warm it through. When it was ready, she gave me a little bit, 

 which I swallowed whole, being almost starved. As these Indians 

 were all strangers to me, I did not know which way they were going ; 

 and, indeed, it was now become quite indifferent to me which way I 

 went, whether to the northward or southward, so that they would 

 but take me vfith them, and give me something to eat. However, 

 to make them comprehend me, I pointed first southward, and 

 after to the lake, and I soon understood they were going to the 

 northward. They all went out together, excepting the sick Indian, 

 and took up the planks of the canoe, which lay near the wigwam, 

 and carried them upon the beach, and presently put it together; 

 and, getting everything into it, they put me to the oar. We rowed 

 across the lake to the mouth of a very rapid river, where we put 

 ashore for that night, not daring to get any way down in the dark, 

 as it required the greatest skill, even in the day, to avoid running 

 foul of the stumps and roots of trees, of which this river was full.* I 

 passed a melancholy night, as they would not suffer me to come near 

 the wigwam they had made ; nor did they give me the least bit of 

 any one thing to eat since we embarked. In the morning we set off 

 again. The weather proved extremely bad the whole day. We 



* In March — April : beginning of autumn. — Canode Pcrdon ? — R. F. 



